Brian'sFather'sCarauctionedforWildlife

Brian's Father's Car auctioned for Wildlife

Legendary Queen guitarist and founder member Brian May has auctioned a 1952 Jowett Javelin he bought for his father Harold to raise funds to support wildlife through his charity Save Me Trust at Barons’ Connoisseurs Classic

Car Collection sale at Sandown Park on July 18th, 2017. As a teenager, some years before Queen was founded, Brian was a member of a group called 1984, and his father would often drive him to rehearsals at a school in Twickenham in the Jowett Javelin he owned at the time. In 1982, in memory of that car, Brian bought this Javelin for his father, Harold.

The gold Jowett Javelin, that has sat in storage since Harold May passed away is offered complete with personalised registration number ‘HWM 57’. With a guide price of £3,000-£6,000, it provides an opportunity to acquire a very special British car with a substantial history with a member of British rock ‘royalty’ and to support a good cause at the same time.

Save Me Trust was set up by Brian May and Anne Brummer in the run-up to the General Election in 2010. At that time, it was clear that a Conservative government would attempt to repeal the Hunting Act of 2005, in an attempt to bring back fox hunting, and introduce a badger cull, against the scientific evidence and advice.

Brian, who has always had a passion for wild animals was outraged and Save Me Trust was established to give a voice to wild animals and to campaign to improve Animal welfare in the UK and around the world. Today, the Hunting Act remains in force and every attempt to repeal it has been defeated. However, since 2012, a total of 14,829 badgers have been killed at an average cost of £6700 per badger to the British taxpayer.

The Jowett Javelin was to be the first car auctioned on the day. With the Save Me banner located behind the car and the team happy to talk about Save Me’s campaigns, it was a magnet to the collectors who were keen to browse the classic vehicle and soak up some of its rock heritage. The Javelin held its own in some very prestigious company, parked next to an Aston Martin Volante that was expected to sell for around £145,000 and flanked by a red Jaguar E type Mk2 and Jensen CV8 that both sold for around £50,000 on the day.

Enthusiastic bidding and strong pre-sale publicity meant that the car went for over top estimate, with the lucky new owner acquiring a charismatic family classic car previously owned by rock royalty for £6325.

Anne Brummer, CEO of Save Me Trust said: “We are incredibly grateful to Brian for auctioning his Fathers car to help wild animals in need. Brian’s commitment to helping wild animals is simply amazing and we can’t thank him enough for his generosity”

Brian, who is known and loved all over the world for his guitar playing with the super group, Queen said he was delighted that his Fathers car had exceeded the upper estimate and that wild animals would benefit from the sale of his Fathers car.

From the auction catalogue

The Jowett Javelin is an executive car which was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants coded PA to PE, each having a standard and "de luxe" option. The car was designed by Gerald Palmer during World War II and was intended to be a major leap forward from the relatively staid designs of pre-war Jowetts. Just over 23,000 units were produced.

Brian May from the band Queen purchased this car for his father in 1982. Unfortunately, after his Dad passed away, the car has sat in dry storage to date.

The engine has received some attention in preparation for sale and is now running, and the car is said to be in good working order. The car does not have a MOT but the MOT failure sheet will be supplied to determine the work still needed to pass.

Overall, the car is said to be in fair to good overall condition.

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